The pundits are predicting that three important aspects of gun control will not pass the U.S. Congress. Congressional members of both parties are ignoring the wishes of 90 per cent the U.S. People who want thorough background checks on purchasers of guns, a ban of owning military-style assault weapons and large capacity magazines.

Just these three steps would have saved the lives of those 20 children and six staff members at Newtown, Connecticut who died at the hands of a crazed assassin using a bushmaster assault weapon with 30-round magazines.

You only have to look at the smiley pictures of those innocents who were murdered and listen to the grieving parents to realize the constructed apathy and lack of political courage on the part of the United States Congress.

Lawmakers charged with the responsibility to bring sanity to the Second Amendment – the right to bear arms – are more interested in re-election than the will of the people. They are held in the thrall of the National Rifle Association (NRA) that is currently urging arming teachers and school staff with guns to protect the students.

Is this a solution to murdering innocents? Are schools to become armed fortresses to repel crazed shooters functioning under the protection of the second amendment?

The Newtown shooter’s mother, whom he murdered the day of the assault, bought weapons for him, took him to shooting ranges to fire assorted automatic weapon There was more than 1,000 rounds of ammunition and more guns were later found kept in a cabinet in his bedroom in his home.

So, how does Canada with its strict gun controls measure up with 1.8 premeditated gun murders per 100,000 persons? The U.S comparative figure is 5.5 persons per 100,000. Most of the guns that committed those murders in Canada were smuggled from the U.S. Buying a gun in the U.S. is simple. They are sold by gun dealers, gun shows or from the back of a car.

The same situation occurs in Mexico where U.S. made weapons are smuggled into the country to be used by the drug cartels. At one point the Mexican gun smuggling was done with the complicity of the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Aren’t proposed gun control changes zealously fought by U.S. gun manufacturers by effective lobbying in the U. S. Congress and even pervasively drilling down to support elected state representatives?

It’s not about the sacred Second Amendment to the Constitution that gives all citizens the right to bear arms. When it was passed more than 200 years ago, weaponry was limited to muskets. Today, a citizen may own military-style assault rifles, 30-round clips for semi automatic weapons and as much ammunition and numbers of guns they can afford.

Further, in many states, any nut bar or criminal using phony ID, can buy guns.

It’s all about money. The business of manufacturing weapons is huge in the U.S and profitable. Elected lawmakers across the country are wooed and dined by the gun lobbyists and their front, the National Rifle Association.

Just a reminder, remember the faces of those 20 six-year-olds who were gunned down in Newtown, Connecticut. The insult of this terrible act to all law-abiding citizens should not be forgotten.

The elected lawmakers need to act and bury their political ambitions to pass the necessary legislation to reduce the never-ending destruction of more than 30,000 people a year dying from gunshots in America.

5 responses to “THE AMERICAS VIEW Remembering the faces of murdered small children – This time it’s different”

Joseph Paul Phelan: It is the figure that is an amalgamation of U.S. polls favouring background checks of gun purchasers. The polls drop to the 80’s on the issue of assault weapons and 30-round magazines. Regardless, the numbers are astonishing as the will of the majority of Americans is apparent. Unfortunately, it hasn’t registered with many lawmakers in Washington who oppose such regulations.Those in opposition are more concerned about their re-election next year than agreeing to the great social issue of the decade.

Thank goodness we have laws in our Country (Canada) that limit the size of ammo clips in Canada, no one needs high capacity clips of 30 +, we also have restrictions against bushmaster rifles. Interesting that CNN never mentions anything about restrictions in Canada.
Just saying.